Last modified: May 1, 2020

INTRODUCTION

Wealthsimple Technologies Inc. and our affiliates and subsidiaries (the “Company“, “we“, “us“, and “our“) are committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information in our possession and control by complying with this policy.

This policy describes:

• Describes the types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit the website www.InvestingBasics.ca (the “Website“).
• How we collect, use, disclose, and protect the personal information of our customers and website users (“you“).
• Our practices for collecting, using, maintaining, protecting, and disclosing that information.

Privacy laws in Canada generally define “personal information” as any information about an identifiable individual, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person.

This policy applies to information we collect, use, or disclose about you:

• On this Website.
• In email, text, and other electronic messages between you and this Website.

The Website may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, services, social networks, or applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow the third party to collect or share data about you. If you follow a link to a third-party website or engage a third-party plugin, please note that these third parties have their own privacy policies and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. We do not control these third-party websites, and we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

If you request more information or would like to sign up for a certain third party product or service listed on our Website you may be required to submit certain personal information, depending on the nature of the third party product or service. If you submit such a request form, we will disclose the information contained in the form to the applicable third party offering the product or service, and you hereby consent to us sharing your personal information with such third party. Any personal information that we provide to third parties will be treated in accordance with the terms of such third party’s own privacy policy and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. We do not control these third-party websites, and we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Please read this policy carefully to understand our policies and practices for collecting, processing, and storing your information. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, your choice is not to use our Website. By accessing or using this Website, you indicate that you understand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this policy. This policy may change from time to time (see “Changes to Our Privacy Policy” section below). Your continued use of this Website after we make changes indicates that you accept and consent to those changes, so please check the policy periodically for updates.

WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT ABOUT YOU

We collect and use several types of information from and about you, including:

• Personal information that we can reasonably use to directly or indirectly identify you, such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, and any other identifier we may use to contact you (“personal information“). The Website may offer tools including a retirement, TFSA, or RRSP calculator, and in order to provide these tools we will also collect personal information such as your income and savings information. 

• Non-personal information that does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity or directly relate to an identifiable individual, such as demographic information, or statistical or aggregated information. Statistical or aggregated data does not directly identify a specific person, but we may derive non-personal statistical or aggregated data from personal information. For example, we may aggregate personal information to calculate the percentage of users accessing a specific Website feature.
• Technical information, including your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, or information about your internet connection, the equipment you use to access our Website, and usage details.
• Non-personal details about your Website interactions, including the full uniform resource locators, clickstream to, through and from our Website (including date and time), products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), methods used to browse away from the page, or any phone number used to call our customer service number.

HOW WE COLLECT INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

We use different methods to collect your information, including through:

• Direct interactions with you when you provide it to us, for example, by filling in forms, online calculators, or corresponding with us by phone, email, engaging with us on social media or otherwise.
• Automated technologies or interactions, as you navigate through our Website. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies.
• Website Analytics We may use third parties to help us gather and analyze information about the areas visited on the Website in order to better understand, evaluate and improve the user experience and the convenience of the Website.

A. Information You Provide to Us

The information we collect directly from you on or through our Website may include:

• Information that you provide by filling in forms or online calculators on our Website. This includes information provided at the time of subscribing to our email subscription list or any other service we may provide. We may also ask you for information when you report a problem with our Website or when you enter a contest or promotion sponsored by us.
• Records and copies of your correspondence (including email addresses), if you contact us.
• Your responses to surveys that we might ask you to complete for research purposes.
• Your engagement with our content on or through third-party social networking websites, plug-ins and applications. When you engage with our content on or through third-party social networking websites, plug-ins and applications, you may allow us to have access to certain information associated with your social media account (e.g., name, username, email address, profile picture, gender) to deliver the content or as part of the operation of the website, plug-in or application. When you provide information from your social media account, we may use this information to personalize your experience on the Website and on the third-party social networking websites, plug-ins and applications, and to provide you with other products or services you may request.

B. Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies 

As you navigate through and interact with our Website, we may use cookies or other automatic data collection technologies to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns, including:

• Details of your visits to our Website, including page requests, average time spent on the Website, traffic data, location  data, logs, and other communication data and the resources that you access and use on the Website.
• Details of any links to other websites operated by the Company, including www.Wealthsimple.com, that you click on and the details of your visit to those websites.
• Information about your computer and internet connection, including your IP address, operating system, and browser type.

We may also use these technologies to collect information about your online activities over time and across third-party websites or other online services (behavioral tracking). To learn more or to opt-out of tailored advertising please visit Digital Advertising Alliance website at www.aboutads.info/choices/ or the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada website at www.youradchoices.ca/choices for information on how you can opt out of behavioral tracking on this Website and how we respond to web browser signals and other mechanisms that enable consumers to exercise choice about behavioral tracking.

The technologies we use for this automatic data collection may include:

• Cookies (or browser cookies). A cookie is a small file placed on the hard drive of your computer. You may refuse to accept browser cookies by activating the appropriate setting on your browser. However, if you select this setting you may be unable to access certain parts of our Website. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies when you direct your browser to our Website.
• Flash Cookies. Certain features of our Website may use local stored objects (or Flash cookies) to collect and store information about your preferences and navigation to, from, and on our Website. Flash cookies are not managed by the same browser settings that are used for browser cookies. For information about managing your privacy and security settings for Flash cookies, see “Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information” section below.
• Tracer Tags & Web Beacons. The Website and emails may also use a technology called “tracer tags” or “Web Beacons”. This technology allows us to understand which pages you visit on the Website. These tracer tags are used to help us optimize and tailor the Website for you and other future visitors to the Website.

C. Third Party Use of Cookies and Other Tracking Technologies

Some content or applications on the Website, including advertisements, are served by third-parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our Website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioural) advertising or other targeted content.

You can opt-out of several third party ad servers’ and networks’ cookies simultaneously by using an opt-out tool created by the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada or an opt-out tool created by the Network Advertising Initiative. You can also access these websites to learn more about online behavioural advertising and how to stop websites from placing cookies on your device. Opting out of a network does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising. It does mean that the network from which you opted out will no longer deliver ads tailored to your web preferences and usage patterns.

We do not control these third parties’ tracking technologies or how they are used. If you have any questions about an advertisement or other targeted content, you should contact the responsible provider directly. For more information about how you can opt out of receiving targeted advertising from many providers, see “Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information” section below.

HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information:

• To present our Website and its contents to you.
• To provide you with information, products, or services that you request from us.
• To fulfill the purposes for which you provided the information or that were described when it was collected, or any other purpose for which you provide it.
• To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts with you, including for billing and collection or to comply with legal requirements.
• To notify you about changes to our Website or any products or services we offer or provide though it.
• To improve our Website, products or services, marketing, or customer relationships and experiences.
• To measure or understand the effectiveness of the advertising we serve to you and others, and to deliver relevant advertising to you.
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information.
• For any other purpose with your consent.

We may also use your information to contact you about our own and third-parties’ goods and services that may be of interest to you, as permitted by law. If you do not want us to use your information in this way, please use the unsubscribe mechanism at the bottom of our e-mails or e-mail us at the contact information below. For more information, see “Choices About How We Use and Disclose Your Information” section below.

We may use the information we have collected from you to enable us to display advertisements to our advertisers’ target audiences. Even though we do not disclose your personal information for these purposes without your consent, if you click on or otherwise interact with an advertisement, the advertiser may assume that you meet its target criteria.

DISCLOSURE OF YOUR INFORMATION

We may disclose aggregated information about our users, and information that does not identify any individual, without restriction.

We may disclose personal information that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy:

• To our subsidiaries and affiliates.
• In accordance with applicable law, to a buyer or other successor in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of the Company’s assets, whether as a going concern or as part of bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar proceeding, in which personal information held by the Company about our customers and users is among the assets transferred.
• To contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy.
• To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it.
• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information.
• With your consent.

We may also disclose your personal information:

• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law.
• To enforce or apply our terms and conditions of use and other agreements, including for billing and collection purposes.
• If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of the Company, our customers, or others. 

TRANSFERRING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

We may transfer personal information that we collect or that you provide as described in this policy to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business (such as analytics and search engine providers that assist us with Website improvement and optimization) and who are contractually obligated to keep personal information confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the personal information with the same standards set out in this policy.

We may process, store, and transfer your personal information in and to a foreign country, with different privacy laws that may or may not be as comprehensive as Canadian law. In these circumstances, the governments, courts, law enforcement, or regulatory agencies of that country may be able to obtain access to your personal information through the laws of the foreign country. Whenever we engage a service provider, we require that its privacy and security standards adhere to this policy and applicable Canadian privacy legislation.

By submitting your personal information or engaging with the Website, you consent to this transfer, storage, or processing.

CHOICES ABOUT HOW WE USE AND DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION

We strive to provide you with choices regarding the personal information you provide to us. We have created mechanisms to provide you with the following control over your information:

• Tracking Technologies and Advertising. You can set your browser to refuse all or some browser cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. To learn how you can manage your Flash cookie settings, visit the Flash player settings page on Adobe’s website. If you disable or refuse cookies, please note that some parts of this Website may not be accessible or may not function properly. For more information about tracking technologies, see Information We Collect Through Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies.
• Marketing Communication. From time to time, we may obtain your consent to send you information about Wealthsimple products or third party products that may be of interest to you. We may also use the information we have about you as well as information obtained from third parties in order to provide you with personalized product recommendations on the Website. You can opt-out of receiving marketing and promotional email from us by following the unsubscribe instructions contained in each of our email communications. Please note that you will continue to receive email regarding your account and transactions with us. Alternatively, you can unsubscribe from any of our marketing communications by contacting us at support@wealthsimple.com.

DATA SECURITY

The security of your personal information is very important to us. We use physical, electronic, and administrative measures designed to secure your personal information from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. We record clients’ personal information electronically on computer servers to which only authorized persons have access, and only by means of secure passwords. We authorize employees and service providers to have access to clients’ personal information only on a “need to know” basis in order to fulfill their job requirements.

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to our Website. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk. We are not responsible for circumvention of any privacy settings or security measures contained on the Website.

DATA RETENTION

Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your personal information so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent.

CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 13

Our Website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any personal information to the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features/register on the Website or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, or email address. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at the contact information below.

ACCESSING AND CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

It is important that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your personal information changes. By law you have the right to request access to and to correct the personal information that we hold about you.

If you want to review, verify, correct, or withdraw consent to the use of your personal information you may send us an email at the contact information below to request access to, correct, or delete any personal information that you have provided to us. We may not accommodate a request to change information if we believe the change would violate any law or legal requirement or cause the information to be incorrect. We may charge you a fee to access your personal information, however, we will notify you of any fee in advance.

We may request specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and your right to access, and to provide you with the personal information that we hold about you or make your requested changes. Applicable law may allow or require us to refuse to provide you with access to some or all of the personal information that we hold about you, or we may have destroyed, erased, or made your personal information anonymous in accordance with our record retention obligations and practices. If we cannot provide you with access to your personal information, we will inform you of the reasons why, subject to any legal or regulatory restrictions.

We will provide access to your personal information, subject to exceptions set out in applicable privacy legislation. Examples of such exceptions include:

• Information protected by solicitor-client privilege.
• Information that is part of a formal dispute resolution process.
• Information that is about another individual that would reveal their personal information or confidential commercial information.
• Information that is prohibitively expensive to provide.

If you are concerned about our response or would like to correct the information provided, you may contact our Chief Compliance Officer at the contact information below.

WITHDRAWING YOUR CONSENT

Where you have provided your consent to the collection, use, and transfer of your personal information, you may have the legal right to withdraw your consent under certain circumstances. To withdraw your consent, if applicable, contact us at the contact details below. Please note that if you withdraw your consent we may not be able to provide you with a particular product or service. We will explain the impact to you at the time to help you with your decision.

CHANGES TO OUR PRIVACY POLICY

We may amend our privacy policy at our sole discretion. It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page with a notice that the privacy policy has been updated on the Website home page.

We include the date the privacy policy was last revised at the top of the page. You are responsible for periodically visiting our Website and this privacy policy to check for any changes. If you do not agree to the changes, you may discontinue using the Website; by continuing to use the Website, you are deemed to agree to the changes.

CONTACT INFORMATION AND CHALLENGING COMPLIANCE

We welcome your questions, comments, complaints or requests regarding this privacy policy and our privacy practices. Please contact our Chief Compliance Officer at the contact information below:

Wealthsimple Technologies Inc.

860 Richmond Street West, 3rd floor

Toronto, ON M6J 1C9

or

ATTN: Complaints

complaints@wealthsimple.com